NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: K Elliott Fry, S T.J. Green
- Released: P Cameron Nizialek
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Pete Guerriero
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Ryan Switzer
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Juwann Winfree
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: G Ryan Hunter
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Jordan Roos
- Released: WR Mason Kinsey
Panthers Designate Eli Apple For Return
The Panthers have designated cornerback Eli Apple and wide receiver Keith Kirkwood to return from injured reserve, according to Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter). The club now has a three-week window to activate either player. If they are not activated in that span, they’ll be ineligible to return for the remainder of the year. 
[RELATED: Panthers Promote RB Reggie Bonnafon]
A former Giants first-round pick, Apple inked a one-year deal with the Panthers in May. At the time, he was thought to be on track for a starting role, especially since the Panthers waited until the fourth round before addressing their need at corner.
Without James Bradberry to lead the way, the Panthers weren’t left with much. Pro Football Focus graded none of Carolina’s incumbent corners higher than 89th at the position last season. Apple, meanwhile, was only 20 when he was drafted and he only just turned 25 over the summer, so there’s reason to believe that he can be a quality contributor when healthy.
Eagles Place Dallas Goedert On IR
The ankle injury Dallas Goedert suffered will require an IR stint. The Eagles placed the third-year tight end on IR Tuesday, sidelining him for at least three weeks.
Goedert suffered what looked like a high ankle sprain against the Bengals, leaving the tie game early. However, the former second-round pick also suffered a small fracture in his ankle, Tim McManus of ESPN.com notes. While the Eagles have Zach Ertz healthy, he is about the only one of the team’s first-string targets to enjoy that status presently. Goedert has 13 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown through two-plus games.
Philadelphia has again seen its pass-catching corps riddled with injuries. Alshon Jeffery has yet to play this season; Jalen Reagor is expected to be out until November; DeSean Jackson has run into more hamstring trouble. This came after Marquise Goodwin‘s opt-out call.
To fill Goedert’s roster spot, the Eagles signed Hakeem Butler from the Panthers’ practice squad. Interestingly, the Eagles are listing the 2019 fourth-round pick as a tight end. The Cardinals drafted Butler as a wide receiver. He has yet to play in a regular-season game.
Panthers Promote RB Reggie Bonnafon
With Christian McCaffrey sidelined, the Panthers are turning to a familiar face. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter) that the team has promoted running back Reggie Bonnafon from the practice squad.
Bonnafon has spent his entire career with the Panthers, initially joining as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville in 2018. He got his first chance to contribute in 2019, and he proceeded to appear in all 16 games for the Panthers. Bonnafon was buried on the depth chart, but he finished the season having compiled 116 rushing yards and one touchdown on 16 carries. He also added six receptions for 57 yards, and he returned six kickoffs for 111 yards. The 24-year-old re-signed with Carolina this offseason, and he caught on with the practice squad after getting cut earlier this month.
Mike Davis is expected to be the primary replacement for McCaffrey; the veteran had eight receptions during last weekend’s loss to the Buccaneers. The team is also rostering Trenton Cannon, and wideout Curtis Samuel has also garnered five carries through two weeks.
After suffering a high-ankle sprain, McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. The Pro Bowler will be eligible to return on Oct. 18, but there’s a chance he’ll need more than three weeks to recover.
Poll: Which 0-2 Team Has Best Chance To Make Playoffs?
Eleven teams entered Week 3 at 0-2. While the Dolphins reduced the NFL’s winless contingent to 10 last night, the 11 0-2 squads were still the most since the 2008 season. This creates a pivotal third regular-season week for many franchises.
The Bengals, Broncos, Eagles, Falcons, Giants, Jets, Lions, Panthers, Texans and Vikings will go into Sunday at 0-2. A couple of these teams were fringe Super Bowl contenders — or at least strong candidates to win their respective divisions — while others’ 0-2 starts are not as surprising.
The typical talking point about how 0-2 records correlate with playoff absences is less relevant this season, with seven teams now invited to each conference’s bracket. But 0-3 cannot be easily dismissed. Since the playoff field expanded to 10 total teams in 1978, only five teams (excluding the 1982 strike-shortened season, which featured a 16-team field) have made the postseason after starting 0-3. Just one — the 2018 Texans — has done so this century.
Philadelphia and Minnesota’s starts probably qualify as the most surprising, given their recent histories and current rosters. But the Eagles are down three starting offensive linemen and multiple wideouts, helping lead to Carson Wentz‘s struggles out of the blocks. They rank last in DVOA, despite two dreadful Vikings performances. Wentz and Kirk Cousins boast the Nos. 32- and 31-ranked Total QBR figures, respectively. The Vikings, a top-11 scoring defense in each of Mike Zimmer‘s six seasons, have regressed on that front after several starters’ offseason exits. Seventh-year starter Anthony Barr is now out for the season.
The Giants and Jets have seen injuries deplete their rosters, but neither New York team was expected to contend in 2020. Carolina, which is down Christian McCaffrey, is in that boat as well. The Bengals poured more resources into their roster than they have in many years — signing D.J. Reader, Trae Waynes, Vonn Bell and Mackensie Alexander to help a porous defense (though, Waynes is set to miss much of the season) — and drafted Joe Burrow. But Cincinnati also entered the season as a non-contender playing in a tough division.
Two HCs from this contingent’s middle-class sect — Dan Quinn and Matt Patricia — reside only behind Adam Gase in first-coach-fired odds. With the Falcons starting 1-7 last year and becoming the first team in NFL history to lose a game after scoring 39 points and committing no turnovers on Sunday, Quinn is in a desperate situation. The Lions have lost 11 straight games under Patricia, who entered the season on the hot seat.
Denver can blame injuries for its situation, to some degree, with four of its six previous Pro Bowlers either out for the season (Von Miller, Courtland Sutton) or presently injured (Phillip Lindsay, A.J. Bouye). Drew Lock may also be out well until November. Houston has almost certainly played the NFL’s toughest schedule to start out — against Kansas City and Baltimore — and faces Pittsburgh on Sunday. Bill O’Brien‘s 2018 team rebounded, and the Texans’ schedule stands to soften after Week 3. But it is safe to say the absence of DeAndre Hopkins has shown up thus far.
So which of these teams has the best chance of rebounding and qualifying for the 14-team playoffs? Vote in PFR’s latest poll (link for app users) and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Panthers Cut Trumaine Johnson
Trumaine Johnson‘s time with the Panthers is already over. On Friday, the Panthers dropped Trumaine Johnson from the practice squad, just days after signing him. His spot will be filled by Kai Forbath, who returns to the team as their backup leg.
Johnson, 30, has made 77 NFL starts. At one point in time, he was regarded as one of the league’s better starting cornerbacks. But, things changed when he went from the Rams to the Jets. His five-year, $72.5MM deal was a monumental flop, and, ultimately, it proved to be one of the misguided moves that ended Mike Maccagan‘s tenure as the team’s GM.
In his first year with Gang Green, Johnson missed significant time with a quad injury that some Jets staffers believe he could have played through. He did come away with four interceptions in 2018, but that stat doesn’t tell the whole story – Johnson struggled in coverage and looked like a shell of his former self. Things deteriorated even further in 2019 – Johnson appeared in only seven games before landing on IR. He was also benched for performance reasons and, unsurprisingly, they were unable to find any takers for him at the trade deadline.
Now, Johnson has gone from NFL notable, to practice squader, to off the Panthers’ expanded 16-man practice squad. Forbath, meanwhile, will wait for his next opportunity while he backstops Joey Slye.
Panthers Place Christian McCaffrey On IR
The Panthers have placed Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, per a club announcement. The running back’s high-ankle sprain will keep him out of action for a minimum of three weeks, per league rules. 
The Panthers will monitor McCaffrey’s recovery, but it’s likely that he’ll need more than the minimum IR stint to get back to 100% health. At the very least, he’ll be out for games against the Chargers, Cardinals, and Falcons. He’ll be eligible to return on Oct. 18 when the Panthers take on the Bears in Carolina, but they won’t be able to bank on his availability.
For now, the Panthers figure to turn things over to Mike Davis, who finished Sunday’s game with eight catches for 74 yards. Before that, McCaffrey was his usual stellar self in the season opener, rushing for 97 yards. And, even in a trying 2019 fo rthe team, McCaffrey still managed 1,387 rushing yards off of 287 carries, giving him an average of 4.8 yards per tote. He also caught 116 passes for 1,005 yards through the air. All combined, he notched 19 touchdowns on the year, paving the way towards his record-breaking four-year, $64MM deal in the offseason.
As of this writing, Trenton Cannon represents the only other RB on the depth chart behind Davis. They also have fullback Alex Armah on hand, but practice squad running back Reggie Bonnafon seems a likely call-up for this week. Beyond that, they may want to explore the free agent market if McCaffrey is out for an extended period.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/20
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Justin Johnson, OL Rick Leonard
- Placed on PS IR: RB D.J. Foster
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OL Aaron Monteiro
- Released: K Kai Forbath
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Marqui Christian
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Dwayne Harris, RB C.J. Prosise, WR Devin Smith
- Released: WR Tyler Simmons
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT Abdullah Anderson
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Nick Thurman
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Breon Borders, DB Greg Mabin, WR Chester Rogers
- Released: DL Kobe Smith, DB Maurice Smith, DB Picasso Nelson
Panthers’ RB Christian McCaffrey To Miss Time
Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to be sidelined for “multiple weeks,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The early hope on Sunday was that CMC’s ankle injury was not especially serious. Now, it sounds like McCaffrey will be a candidate for the injured reserve list. The expectation is that he’ll be out for the next 4-6 weeks, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).
McCaffrey turned his right ankle during Sunday’s contest against the Bucs, capping his day with 18 carries for just 49 yards. Afterwards, the Panthers turned to Mike Davis, who finished the game with eight catches for 74 yards. Davis is a solid understudy who drew rave reviews throughout camp, but the Panthers will obviously miss having CMC, who is the focal point of their offense.
Although the Panthers fell short in their season opener, McCaffrey was his usual stellar self. After coming just shy of 100 yards rushing and averaging ~13 yards per reception on three grabs, there was little doubt that the 24-year-old was setting himself up for another elite season. The Panthers are counting on more big performances from McCaffrey after he inked his record-breaking four-year, $64MM deal in the offseason.
Even in a down 2019 for the Panthers, McCaffrey still managed 1,387 rushing yards off of 287 carries, giving him an average of 4.8 yards per tote. He also caught 116 passes for 1,005 yards through the air. All combined, he notched 19 touchdowns on the year.
If McCaffrey misses the next six weeks, he’ll be absent for games against the Chargers, Cardinals, Falcons (twice), Bears, and Saints.
Injury Updates: Colts, McCaffrey, Broncos, 49ers
It’s been a tough day for the NFL, with a slew of high profile players going down with serious injuries. We’ve brought you all the season-ending ones already, and now we’ve got some updates on some hopefully less long-term but still significant injuries. Colts receiver Parris Campbell had to be carted off with a knee injury, but fortunately Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that he did not tear his ACL.
Campbell’s 2019 rookie season was plagued by injuries as he dealt with a sports hernia, a broken hand, and a broken foot, so this was especially tough to see. He was supposed to play a big role in this Colts offense, and showed a nice connection with new quarterback Philip Rivers in Week 1. The Ohio State product and former second-round pick will have an MRI on Monday, and it seems like an MCL injury could be likely.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Panthers superstar Christian McCaffrey sprained his ankle and will have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity, Rapoport tweets. Fortunately, Rapsheet reports that the “initial hope” is it’s not too serious. Needless to say, it would be a massive loss for Carolina’s offense if he’s forced to miss any time.
- We heard earlier today that Drew Lock would miss multiple games with an AC joint injury in his throwing shoulder. While he agrees with the prognosis of multiple weeks missed, multiple sources told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News that the injury is not in fact to the AC joint (Twitter link). The bad news is that Klis also reports there is “concern” within the organization about Courtland Sutton‘s knee, but that nothing more will be known until tomorrow morning. The Broncos have been besieged by injuries, and can’t seem to catch a break in that regard.
- The Falcons blew a huge lead late for an absolutely gutting loss to the Cowboys, and the bad news doesn’t end there. The team fears starting right tackle Kaleb McGary has sprained his MCL, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The MRI Monday will confirm how long he’ll be out, but this sounds like a multi-week absence. McGary has started every game since the team drafted him in the first-round last year, and this is the last thing this 0-2 Atlanta team needed.
- Nick Bosa is done for the year with a torn ACL, and two other 49ers players are dealing with knee injuries. Running back Raheem Mostert is believed to have a mild MCL sprain and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas is believed to have a “serious” knee injury, according to tweets from Schefter. It sounds like both are going to miss time, although Mostert’s shouldn’t be too long-term and Schefter notes that Thomas’ didn’t have the initial grim clarity of Bosa’s, which could be a good sign. San Francisco has been another team bit hard by the injury bug.